Redcliffe Hospital Perioperative Pharmacist

A year-long project at Redcliffe Hospital has showcased the value to patient safety of Metro North’s first dedicated perioperative pharmacist.

Theatre MedicineWISE began in July 2019 as a 12-month project supported by Metro North’s (Support, Explore, Excel, Deliver) SEED funding program.

The pharmacist leading the project, Nicholai De La Cruz, says she is one of only a dozen perioperative pharmacists across Australia.

“It’s a new scope of practice that sees pharmacists work as fully-integrated members of a hospital’s operating theatre and recovery unit,” Ms De La Cruz said.

Since the project began, Ms De La Cruz says the medication-related patient risk in Redcliffe Hospital’s operating theatres and recovery unit had significantly reduced by close to 20%.

The presence of a medication expert in the operating theatre has also meant significant medication-related cost savings for the hospital.

“Reducing risk and improving patient safety is the central focus of a perioperative pharmacist – but there can be significant other benefits as well.

“We’ve been able to reduce waste and suggest more cost-effective medication options or presentations.

“A pharmacist has a unique skill-set that can also complement the expertise of their surgical and anaesthetic colleagues.”

Redcliffe Hospital’s Director of Pharmacy, Geoff Grima, said the project had proven that a perioperative pharmacist could improve communication and medication management to the theatre environment – and by doing so, make surgical care safer for patients.